What's Cookin' ?

Cooking.

Cooking for the family can not be defined in simple words.  It sounds like an activity that might be almost mindless – like dusting or vacuuming.  But it is so much more than that.  I suspect that most people who love to cook, and perhaps even those who only like to cook, recognize that the act of cooking for ones family is akin to giving birth, giving life, giving of ones heart to another.  Like dusting, or vacuuming, it needs to be done again and again.  But unlike those activities, it is never quite the same each time it is done.  Something happens while a cook is at work – inspiration and insight take over….”what if I add this – take away that” and “must remember, son/husband/brother doesn’t like (fill in the blank).”

Isn’t it a good thing I feel this way about cooking?  Especially since summer finds hubby walking in the door at least daily – sometimes twice a day – with arms laden with the garden’s produce.  Yesterday it was 4 huge zucchini, some cucumbers and a mess of kale.  The day before it was 5 huge zucchini and a bowl of sweet peas.  The vitamins and minerals are bouncing off our walls!

So.

What’s cooking at our house?

One evening it was a pizza I made up as I went along.  Began with an awesome frozen whole wheat dough from Wegman’s, I placed fresh tomato slices layered with large and beautiful basil leaves and then Swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and garlic (both greens from our garden, topped with some low fat mozzarella.  It was so good – all the more so because I have become intolerant of real pizza for some reason.  This one gave me no tummy problems.

  Next up, a batch of zucchini bread-and-butter pickles made with a recipe given to me by the sister of a dear next door neighbor about 30 years ago.  Heavy on the tumeric, they are bound to have some real health benefits.

And four zucchini breads from a newspaper recipe I have used for about 30 or 35 years.  Must remember to scan or recopy this one – it is worn and yellowed and I cannot lose it! There are three loaves in the freezer – the other loaf has disappeared!

Followed that up with a batch of zucchini-bread-and butter pickles – this batch from my Grandma Davis’ recipe.  Just smelling them cooking takes me back to her little kitchen in Columbia.

Onward to zucchini and summer squash cutlets – dipped in flour and black pepper, then egg with salt, and finally Italian bread crumbs and additional Parmesan – and baked until crispy – froze two batches, ate the third for dinner with a dab of spaghetti sauce and cheese on each.  See it here

Some shredded zucchini blanched and frozen for meatloaf or other recipes.

A batch of deveined, blanched kale frozen for soup or other uses.  How to video

Some sweet peas – frozen and delectable.

A large batch of pesto – waiting for use in the fridge.

About 8 or 10 bags of herbs – either frozen in cubes of water or oil, or frozen whole in bags.

 Well, that’s about it for now – I must stop here and get to the garden – first to plant some marigolds, and then to see how I’ll be spending my afternoon in the kitchen!

After an hour or so in the garden – got my flowers planted and some weeding done, I came home with maybe 5 more zucchini – some sweet peas, and some frying peppers from a neighboring gardener.  That’ll make up tonight’s menu for dinner.

When Lar got home from his gardening duties (much heavier than my own!) I made us lunch.  If you have never tried watermelon with a dab of fresh mint….do it!  Oh, my, what a flavor-treat! 

Then popped two loaves of Zucchini-Peach-Blueberry Bread in the oven and right now we are “tripping” on the aromas of that baking.